Genealogy: English criminals

[Sunday21]

Old bailey transcripts for family history. If you have English criminals as ancestors.https://www.oldbaileyonline.org/

Before conversion, I was discussing my clan’s history with a genealogy expert. He told me to check Scottish hanging records. I was immediately insulted. Yeah. He was right! Here is another source for those of us with loose ancestors. Probably a more tactful way to put this! 

[NeuroTypical]

Is it weird that I've often wished I had ancestors with "interesting stories" like participating in the mob at Carthage, or some such?

[NeuroTypical]

Also, Frank Herbert's Dune books make a fascinating observation that is true.  Victors are the ones who end up reproducing.  All of us are descended from some folks who did some pretty horrible things in order to secure best breeding potential.

I love this website.  Utterly fascinating.   My surname has 10 entries - looks like 5 Typicals were guilty of something (mostly theft), and 4 were victims of something.   The last record had a Dr. Typical testifying in an infanticide case.  Dead baby, mom claimed it was stillborn.  Dr. Typical did an autopsy and noted the lungs were full of air, and floated when placed in water, therefore the baby was born alive.

Wow!

[Sunday21]

1 hour ago, NeuroTypical said:

Is it weird that I've often wished I had ancestors with "interesting stories" like participating in the mob at Carthage, or some such?

I bet you do have really interesting ancestors! And one day, you will hear the great stories! 

[Fether]

4 hours ago, Sunday21 said:

He told me to check Scottish hanging records. I was immediately insulted.

Why would you be insulted!?

Of someone said that to me, I would tear through the nearest hanging record searching for any ancestral Fethers!

[Traveler]

21 hours ago, Sunday21 said:

Old bailey transcripts for family history. If you have English criminals as ancestors.https://www.oldbaileyonline.org/

Before conversion, I was discussing my clan’s history with a genealogy expert. He told me to check Scottish hanging records. I was immediately insulted. Yeah. He was right! Here is another source for those of us with loose ancestors. Probably a more tactful way to put this! 

Becoming aware of our ancestors can provide many insights.  I come from (among other things) a "white" slave that was taken from his initial wife and children and brought to the Americas to never see them again but to marry and create the line from which I come.  Each generation multiples by a power of two the number and circumstance of our ancestors.   We all come from slavery and monarchs.  So if we like we can claim or deny every excuse of what we are or will be.  But the saddest notion to me are those that think their genetics or birth defines them for who and what they are.

 

The Traveler

[Sunday21]

 

3 hours ago, Traveler said:

Becoming aware of our ancestors can provide many insights.  I come from (among other things) a "white" slave that was taken from his initial wife and children and brought to the Americas to never see them again but to marry and create the line from which I come.  Each generation multiples by a power of two the number and circumstance of our ancestors.   We all come from slavery and monarchs.  So if we like we can claim or deny every excuse of what we are or will be.  But the saddest notion to me are those that think their genetics or birth defines them for who and what they are.

 

The Traveler

My sheep stealing ancestors had some reasons for their actions. I know that we lol know the following but it makes me fell good to defend my ancestors.

The Scottish (not English as claimed by popular culture) wanted to increase revenues. To increase revenues they turned the peasants off the land and left them to starve. The Scottish landlords waltzed off to London to party But were made fun of by the English. Served the landlords right! The English made fun of the Scottish landlords while the Scottish landlords made fun of the peasants. 

The peasants understandably responded by stealing the sheep. They had few other choices. Those peasants with more funds emigrated. My ancestors were too poor. I went to a graveyard in Lusk with a long line of gravestones labelled Robert xxx. Hung for stealing sheep. I wonder how they were able to afford a headstone? Anyway. I view them as survivors. Those peasants closer to the sea survived by collecting, selling and eating seaweed. 

Anyway ... all caused by social climbing Scottish landlords who were then snubbed by the English. Many of the more well off scots went to the new world along with the Irish. Many Irish famines occurred during which the English parliamentarians happily stood back and watched as the bodies of my ancestors were eaten by wild dogs. Queen Victoria  persuaded foreign governments not to help.

My theory is that the ancestors of the scots and Irish contributed to the civil war by refusing to give up slaves and therefore their incomes because they lived in the shadow of the starvation of their ancestors thus contributing to the deaths of many young men in the civil war.

So if we could all be more understanding of the plight of others and establish a more just society, we would avoid many problems. 

Edited July 9, 2019 by Sunday21

[anatess2]

On 7/9/2019 at 1:29 PM, Sunday21 said:

 

My sheep stealing ancestors had some reasons for their actions. I know that we lol know the following but it makes me fell good to defend my ancestors.

My ancestors killed Magellan.  And we celebrate that killing every single year with a parade and re-enactment. 

 

[Sunday21]

5 hours ago, anatess2 said:

My ancestors killed Magellan.  And we celebrate that killing every single year with a parade and re-enactment. 

 

No kidding! That is kinda awesome! 

Edited July 11, 2019 by Sunday21